Hot Rods Game Notes
August 29, 2019 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release
Tonight marks the final Bootlegger Thursday presented by Casey Jones Distillery of the 2019 season while tomorrow marks the long-awaited debut of the Bowling Green Sinkholes moniker to close out the 2019 regular-season home schedule.
About Last Night... The Bowling Green Hot Rods began a three-game series against the Lake County Captains on Wednesday night. The Captains took the lead in the top of the first against Matthew Liberatore, scoring on a two-out RBI double by Jonathan Engelmann. Lake County held the one-run lead into the bottom of the fourth inning when the Hot Rods rallied against Captains' starter Matt Turner. After a one-out double by Ruben Cardenas, Seaver Whalen drove him in with a two-out single, tying the game. The score remained 1-1 as Caleb Sampen and Chris Muller combined for five scoreless innings in relief. Meanwhile, the Hot Rods failed to score against Turner and two Lake County relievers. In the tenth, Muller stayed on and walked two hitters, loading the bases with one out. Quentin Holmes then hit a sharp ground ball to third, but the ball eluded Osmy Gregorio, allowing two runs to score. Jose Fermin followed with a two-out, two-run double, giving the Captains a 5-1 advantage. The Hot Rods proceeded to go down in order in the tenth, falling in the series opener.
A Slow Night at the Plate... The Hot Rods were held to just one run on six hits in last night's game, marking the eighth time in the month of August that the Hot Rods have scored two or fewer runs in a game, with BG losing all eight of those contests. Additionally, five times the Hot Rods have scored just a single tally in a game, though they have yet to suffer a shutout in August. On the month, the Hot Rods have hit just .221, which is third-worst in the Midwest League, while scoring 109 runs, which ranks ninth.
...But a Good Night on the Mound... Despite the loss last night, the Hot Rods pitching staff allowed just one earned run, continuing a stellar month on the mound, posting a 2.54 staff ERA this month. Thanks to the stingy pitching, the Hot Rods have managed to overcome the offensive struggles to post the best record in the league this month, going 16-10 in August.
Give 'Em Schnell... Though Wednesday was a quiet night for the Bowling Green offense, Nick Schnell continued his stretch of hot hitting by extending his hitting streak to seven games with a ninth-inning single. The newest member of the Hot Rods, Schnell has hit safely in nine of his first ten contests in a BG uniform since being reassigned from Princeton on August 17. The former first-round pick is hitting an even .300 with two doubles, a triple, and three RBI since coming to Bowling Green. During his seven-game streak, Schnell is hitting .357, while scoring six times in that span.
One More Round... Tonight marks the final installment of Bootlegger Thursday for the 2019 campaign. After winning their first two games as the Bootleggers this season (April 25 at home and May 3 at Peoria), Bowling Green dropped four-straight Bootlegger Thursday matchups, before breaking through with wins in their last two Thursday home games. Tonight marks a rubber game of sorts for the Bootleggers, as they hold a 4-4 record this season under the alternate moniker, though all-time, that mark is 8-4.
To September We Go... With the Hot Rods punching their playoff ticket on Monday night, the Hot Rods earned their seventh playoff bid in franchise history and their fourth-consecutive trip to the postseason. For Bowling Green, this is the fourth time that they punched their ticket in the second half. Additionally, the Hot Rods are in search of their fifth division title. To take the second-half Eastern Division crown, the magic number to do so is four, with South Bend being three games back with six to play.
Single Season Record Watching... HR: Betts has 18 homers (4th most in a single season) and is one behind Moises Gomez (3rd, 19, 2018), three behind Ronaldo Hernandez (2nd, 21, 2018) and four behind Derek Dietrich (1st, 22, 2011)... RBIs: Betts' 70 are two behind Jake Hager (72, 2012) for fifth place... Hits: Proctor (128) trails Tim Beckham (135) for fifth and Drew Vettleson (139, 2012) for fourth... Strikeouts: Betts (131) is two behind Ty Morrison (133, 2010) for fourth-most... Wins: Sampen and Strong (9) are one win away from moving into a five-way tie for fourth-most... Saves: Peguero (14) is tied with Scott Shuman (14, 2010) for fourth-most...
Last Night's Notes... Whalen recorded his 13th multi-hit game...Cardenas had his 28th multi-hit contest...Schnell has hit safely in seven-straight games...Aranda struck out three times, tying a career-high for the third time...Sampen made his first relief appearance since July 2, 2018, vs. Idaho Falls (with Ogden), snapping a string of 32-straight starts...Bowling Green is 5-6 in extra-inning games...The Hot Rods are 15-10 in the month of August... BG is 23-19 in series openers...The Hot Rods are 19-18 against left-handed starters...
Midwest League Stories from August 29, 2019
- Loons Top Dragons 5-3 After Rain Delay in Midland - Dayton Dragons
- TinCaps Top Cubs in Game Two 9-4 - South Bend Cubs
- Deep into the Night - Great Lakes Loons
- Clinch a Cinch: Cougars Playoff Bound with Win in Wisconsin - Kane County Cougars
- Wisconsin officially eliminated from playoff contention with home loss - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
- Burlington Bees Fall to Clinton - Burlington Bees
- Hankins K's 10, Winning Streak Ends - Lake County Captains
- Chiefs Walk off Snappers 5-4 - Peoria Chiefs
- Reed/LKings Flirt with Perfecto in 5th Straight Win - Clinton LumberKings
- River Bandits Hold on for 3-2 Win in Cedar Rapids - Quad Cities River Bandits
- Bootleggers Quiet Captains in 3-1 Victory - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- Snyder Homers Twice But Kernels Fall - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- Lugs Beat the Rain, Mash out 7-3 Victory - Lansing Lugnuts
- TinCaps Toast Final 2019 Thirsty Thursday With Resounding Victory - Fort Wayne TinCaps
- Hot Rods Game Notes - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- J.T. Perez activated from 7-day Injured List - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- TinCaps Game Notes: August 29 vs. South Bend (Game 134) - Fort Wayne TinCaps
- Three 2019 LumberKings Chosen for Arizona Fall League - Clinton LumberKings
- CPR Mass Training Event at Four Winds Field September 5 - South Bend Cubs
- Dragons Notes for Thursday - Dayton Dragons
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
